Roller leveler



July 21 1931. F. A. SCHMITZ 7 1,815,484

ROLLER LEVELER Filed June 14. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l F'1g, I

I e 0" e 0 I Q 6' o 55 B o I Z O i FredA, Schmztz July 21, 1931. F. A. SCHMI'TZ 1,815,484

ROLLER LEVELER Filed June 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Shet 2 gwuentoa,

MMB 14 Fre d4 'dchmztz Patented July 21, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRED A. SCHMITZ, OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY NEESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO REPUBLIC STEEL CORPORATION, OF YOUNGSTOWN,

ROLLER Application filed June 14,

metal sheets of the type disclosed in the copending application of Thomas A. Sindelar, Serial N 0. 269,820, filed April 13, 1 928.

Sli-tted metal sheets of the type disclosed in the aforesaid application are preferably expanded by means of apparatus of the type disclosed in the copending application of George W. Lentz, Serial No. 269,773, filed April 13, 1928.

The expanded sheets, owing to variations in the thickness of the original'metal sheets, and to improper adjustment of, the slitting or expanding apparatus, are occasionally cambered longitudinally and transversely, and are characterized by ribs, which, while they are in the-main uniformly spaced, are more or less sinuous or wave-like. These imperfections inthe finished sheets,'while they do not materially affect the utility of the sheets for building construction purposes, are objectionable to the trade, for the reason that they detract from the finished appearance of the sheets.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to eliminate these defects in the expanded sheet .by providing an apparatus which will not only level the sheet to remove longitudinal and transverse camber, but at the same time, will eflectively align the ribs, so that the finished sheet will present a neat and attractive appearance.

This and other objects of the invention will become more readily apparent in the course of the following description of apreferred embodiment of the invention, taken in' connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a general elevation of the entire leveling I apparatus Fig. 2' is an elevation of the leveler;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the leveler, and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the leveler, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the leveling apparatus comprises a leveler indicated, generally at A, an entrance OHIO, Aconrona'rrolv on NEW JERSEY LEVELER 1928. Serial No. 285,263.

table B, an exit table C, and a leveler drive D.

The leveler A includes a base 1, I-beams 2 mounted upon the base, and lower bearing boxes 3 secured to the I-beams. Upper bearmg boxes 4 are guided vertically by means of guides 5 secured to the lower bearing boxes, and are vertically adjustable with re- ,spect to the lower boxes, by means of adusting devices 6 and 7 as is well understood in the art.

A drive shaft 8 is mounted in depending bearmgs 9, secured to the lower bearing boxes 3, and drives lower' leveler rolls l0 and upper leveler rolls 11, through the intermediary of gears 12.

The lower rolls 10 are staggered with respect to the upper rolls 11, as is common in roller-levelers of this type.

Each roll 10 and 11 is provided with uniformly spaced annular ribs 13, the sides 14 and 15 of which are straight and oppositely inclined with respect to each other. The angle of inclination of the sides of the ribs, with respect to the axis of the roll, is determined by the angle at which the ribs in the expanded metal sheet are set with respect to the general plane of the sheet.

The rolls 11 are so disposed with respect to the rolls 10, that the sides 14 of the ribs in the rolls 11 are practically in line with the sides 15 of the ribs in-the rolls 10, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. r

The operation of the oleveling appartus is briefly as follows:

The expanded metal sheet is placed on the entrance table B, and is fed into the leveler A in such manner that the inclined ribs of the. sheet pass between the sides 14 of the ribs in the upper rolls 11 and the sides 15 of the ribs in the lower rolls 10. The sheet passes through the leveler and onto the exit table C, from which it is removed for stacking.

The expanded metal sheet, after passing through-the leveler, is free of the aforementioned defects, and presents a neat and attractive appearance.

Claims:

' '1'. In a machine for straightening the ribs of ribbed expanded metal sheets, a series of NYE lower rolls, each provided with spaced annular ribs, and a series of upper rolls arranged in staggered relation with said lower rolls and each provided with spaced annular ribs offset laterally with respect to the ribs of the lower rolls a suflicient amount to provide between the ribs of the upper and lower rolls straightening passes for the ribs of a sheet which is passed through the machine.

2. In a machine for straightening the ribs of ribbed expanded metal sheets, a series of lower rolls, each provided with spaced annular ribs having inclined faces, and a series of upper rolls arranged in staggered relation with said lower rolls and each provided with spaced annular ribs having inclined faces and offset laterally with respect to the ribs of the lower rolls a sufficient amount to provide between the inclined faces. of the ribs of the upper and lower rolls straightening passes for the ribs of a sheet which is passed through the machine.

3. In a machine for straightening the ribs of ribbed expanded metal sheets a series of lower rolls having projecting ribs with inclined faces adapted to engage the ribs of a sheet fed through the machine for supporting the lower sides of the ribs of the sheet,

and a series of upper rolls arranged in staggered relation with the lower rolls and having projecting ribs with inclined faces parallel with the inclined faces of the ribs of the lower rolls and adapted to engage the upper sides of the ribs of the sheet, the ribs of the upper and lower rolls thereby cooperating with each other to straighten the ribs of the sheet as it passes through the machine.

4. In a machine for straightening the ribs of ribbed expanded metal sheets, a series of lower rolls provided with spaced apart annular ribs having inclined faces adapted to suppo'rt the lower faces of the ribs of a sheet passed through the machine, and a series of upper rolls provided with annular ribs having inclined faces adapted to engage the upper faces of the ribs of the sheet, the ribs of the upper and lower rolls thereby co-operating with each other to straighten the ribs of the sheet as it passes through the machine.

5. A machine for straightening the ribs of expanded metal sheets having ribs all inclined in approximately parallel planes comprising upper and lower rolls arranged in staggered relation, each roll having a series of spaced annular ribs corresponding with the various ribs of the sheet, the ribs of each of the lower rolls having inclined faces adapted to support the lower faces of the ribs of the sheet, and the ribs of each or the upper rolls having inclined faces inclined in the same direction as the inclined faces of the ribs of the lower rolls but oflfset laterally therefrom and adapted to engage the u per faces of the corresponding ribs of the sheet.

6. A machine for straightening the ribs of 

